TEMPLE CITY – City officials will decide tonight whether to remove City Manager-City Attorney Charles Martin, or to keep him on in an interim position.

The City Council is scheduled to meet in closed session to evaluate Martin’s performance and decide whether to replace him with a new interim city manager and a new interim city attorney. Martin, 85, has indicated that he wants to retire, but has left it to city officials to handle the transition. He did not return a telephone message Monday.

Martin has been working for San Gabriel Valley city governments since taking over as San Marino’s city prosecutor in 1954. At one point in the early 1980s, he simultaneously held 16 positions in six different cities.

Mayor Judy Wong said that she was leaning toward appointing a new interim city manager, either from the current applicant pool or through the California Contract Cities Association. The city has been accepting applications for a city manager since February.

“Some of the applicants offered to work as an interim city manager,” Wong said.

Wong added that she wants to keep Martin on as interim city attorney because of his familiarity with the city’s litigation over the Piazza mall development.

“This is just my personal opinion, but we probably should let him still stay on until the case is clear,” Wong said. “He’s more familiar with the ins and outs of it.”

Councilman Fernando Vizcarra agreed with Wong.

“I think it’s time that he stepped down as city manager, and we’ll review whether or not he should stay on as city attorney for any length of time,” Vizcarra said. “I don’t think we’re all that happy with his management style, his communication with the City Council and his ability to go out and scare up business.”

Officials also expressed concerns about Martin’s age and health. At the previous City Council meeting on April 21, Martin left the meeting early due to low blood sugar, according to Wong. Paramedics attended to Martin, and he was escorted home by the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.

In the same closed session, the City Council will also discuss settlement of an IRS claim against the city over Martin’s tax status.

The IRS determined in 2008 that Martin was being improperly paid by the city as an independent contractor, rather than as a full-time employee, which had allowed the city to avoid providing him with medical, dental or retirement benefits. The city could be fined up to $50,000 for such hiring practices.

As a result, Martin has not been paid so far in 2009, assistant to the city manager Gary Flod said.

“It could or could not end up in some kind of litigation,” Flod said.

The city has so far received 11 applications for the city manager opening, six of which contain the “desired background,” personnel analyst Eva Hauffen said.

“One of the requirements is that they have at least 3 to 5 years of city manager experience,” Hauffen said.

The bulk of applications generally comes in two weeks before deadline, Hauffen added. The deadline for applications is June 18.

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